


Pockets, Peaches, and Prior

by symbioticdeath



Series: Deadlier Than [1]
Category: Divergent (Movies), Divergent - All Media Types, Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Genre: F/F, Getting Together, Lauren & Eric brotp, Living out of each other's pockets, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:40:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28769466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/symbioticdeath/pseuds/symbioticdeath
Summary: Tris has a crush on Lauren. Too bad she's with Eric. Right?
Relationships: Eric & Lauren (Divergent), Lauren/Tris Prior
Series: Deadlier Than [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2186931
Kudos: 9





	Pockets, Peaches, and Prior

**Author's Note:**

  * For [firelord65](https://archiveofourown.org/users/firelord65/gifts).



> Surprise, Peril! Hope this makes your day!

I.

Tris hadn’t expected friendly fire to be something she’d need to deal with when she woke up that morning. At most, maybe someone pinched a finger in a slide, not shooting her co-instructor in the thigh.

“It’s not that bad,” she lied, pressing down on the wound as best she could. Blood overflowed between her fingers. She tried to remember what she learned in field medicine, but was coming up blank.

“It feels that bad.” Christina hissed between clamped teeth. She clutched at her own arms, nails digging into the fabric. “Fuck.”

“I leave for five seconds and Mouthy gets shot. C’mon, Prior,” Eric chided. He knelt next to her, patting down the pockets of his vest until he found a black square box. She expected a med kit, instead there were tampons. “When I tell you, move your hands. We need to do this quickly.”

He took one out and replaced the box to its proper pocket. He ripped the paper off, took a breath in, and nodded. She moved her hands. Eric plugged the wound, slipping the applicator into a pants pocket. Absently, Tris wondered if all Dauntless Leaders carried tampons in their kits for this exact reason.

“Hey, look at me, you’re going to live.” He told Christina as he hauled her up into his arms. “Prior, come with me. I want a run down of what happened.”

Tris followed, only glancing back at Four as he knelt next to the Initiate who completely forgot gun safety on the range. She made note of how he placed a hand on the kid’s shoulder instead of chewing her ass out and filed it away for later.

She found she shared Eric’s methods when it came to training the Initiates: tough love meant they would become a member of Dauntless that could act and think.

“Why do you have tampons on you?” She heard Christina ask, voice shaky.

“It’s Lauren’s emergency stash.” Eric answered like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Tris didn’t know Eric and the other Dauntless trainer were A Thing.

And couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed at that fact.

II.

“Do you think if we pooled our credits together that Rich would get us the good coffee beans on one of his Amity runs?” Lauren asked. She and Tris stood by the coffee bar, trying to pick between Dishwater, Decaf Dishwater, and Tea. “Eric has a grinder and one of those glass carafe coffee makers in his office.”

Tris tried to ignore how her cheeks were heating up under Lauren’s attention. Or how the skin of her elbow was on fire from where her crush gripped it tightly. 

“I’d be willing to throw in for that.” Tris agreed. She decided to go with the tea despite wanting coffee. But tea still tasted like tea when it went cold. “I can ask Richards if you want.”

She knew her best friend would agree as long as the credits were good. If she stopped by the Motor Pool after breakfast she could probably catch Richards.

“Please-” Lauren grunted after Eric draped himself over her. “Morning, Pita.”

“Pita?” Tris repeated. She wasn’t used to seeing the normally alert Eric basically asleep on the other girl.

“Pain in the ass. Here, drink this before you fall into a coma and die,” Lauren replied as she held up a cup of Dishwater. Eric took the cup and chugged it without opening his eyes. “Drama queen.”

“You love me.” Eric mumbled into Lauren’s hair.

Tris saw Lauren’s soft smile as she gave Eric’s arm a pat.

“Can you take him for a minute and I’ll make the drinks?” Lauren asked. She didn’t wait for an answer, just shuffled Eric off into Tris.

“Morning, Tris.” Eric leaned against her, his weight nearly causing her to stumble until she shifted. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, just don’t drool on my shoulder.” 

“No promises,” came the grumbled reply.

Later when Tris was at her desk, she took a sip of tea, and it was perfect.

III.

It was fucking cold.

Tris tried to curl into herself to get warmer. She hate, hate, hated urban survival training, but it was her Leadership group’s turn to take the Initiate's into the field. No supplies and no help from them. The kids needed to find things for themselves to prove they’d been paying attention to their classes.

She was freezing because the kids didn’t realize how much around them could be used to make and feed a fire. It was an old office building, the windows shattered let the wind in and could’ve let smoke out.

“Tris, come here.” Lauren whispered. She beckoned from a cubicle. 

Tris crawled under a couple of desks. Lauren pulled one of the desks on its side in front of the cubicle, blocking off the wind as best she could. 

Warmth.

In the middle of the space was a tiny solar space heater. It generated enough heat to keep them warm, but enough to be noticed by anyone outside the cubicle. Tris shuffled in next to Eric, who bumped her shoulder.

Next to the heater was a tin plate with sliced hard cheese and jerky. Eric was uncorking a small bottle of what she assumed was wine. Tris reached into her pocket for the peach Richards had given her before they’d left. It was a rare gift; grown in Amity’s winter greenhouses. She held it out to Eric.

“Damn, Prior, putting us all to shame.” Eric commented. He sliced up the fruit, adding it around the plate’s edges. “What were you doing out there?”

“Suffering with everyone else apparently.” Tris answered dryly.

Lauren giggled. It filled Tris with a pleasant nervousness that she didn’t hope showed as a blush on her cheeks.

She watched Lauren and Eric move around each other, perfectly in sync and wordlessly. It made her wonder how long they had been together, probably from their own Initiation.

Later, after the wine had been drunk and the food eaten, Tris laid between the two, facing Lauren. The other trainer’s hand twitched near a knife she’d hidden, ready for action if need be. The wine made her feel fuzzy, especially when Lauren trapped one of Tris' legs between hers.

“Sleep, Tris.” Eric whispered in her ear.

“Still cold?” Lauren mumbled, dragging Tris until there was no space between them. “Lift up your head.”

Tris did so, trying not to jump when Eric was plastered to her back and found her head resting on his bicep. Lauren sighed and burrowed into Tris’ chest, throwing an arm around her waist.

It was the best sleep of Tris’ life.

IV.

Tris tried to think of what she was going to say. She stood outside of Eric’s office, wringing her hands.

“Tris, either come in or fuck off.” Eric said. She entered his office, plunking down onto the couch he somehow got away with having, “What is it?”

Tris breathed in and forgot how to breathe out.

Eric set down the tablet he’d been reading, coming around his desk to join her. 

“Hey, hey, whatever it is, it’ll be fine. Do you want me to get Lauren?” Eric asked. He took her hands in his and she wondered when she got so used to him doing things like that.

Him and Lauren both

“No, it’s about her.” Tris said. Eric tensed, “She’s fine. Just….”

She mumbled the next part.

“What was that, Tris? Use your words like a big girl.” Eric prompted.

“She kissed me.” Tris said. She felt terrible about it and at the same time, elated because she liked Lauren more than she wanted to admit.

Eric’s face went blank.

Dread curled up like a cat in her stomach.

“You do know this means we have to duel at dawn right?” He said, no emotion in his voice. “On the roof, throwing knives, and no seconds. We die like men.”

“I’m sorry I kissed your girlfriend. I just-” she stopped talking when he began to laugh, “What?”

“Lauren’s not my girlfriend. Best friend, yes, girlfriend no. You’re in the clear and I have to say, finally you two are getting your shit together,” he said. He sounded a little sad, “If I take up too much of her time, let me know.”

Tris cupped his face in her hands.

“Why would you say that?” 

“Her previous relationships didn’t work out because of me. She spends too much of her time with me apparently.” He answered. Eric wasn’t the easiest person to get along with, he had few actual friends, and it seemed to her that Lauren was the only person who got to see beneath the mask of cockiness he liked to wear. “Or they thought I was in love with her.”

Tris snorted.

“You love Lauren because she knows you and you know her, that’s fine with me. You two are a packaged deal, I like having you around, Eric.” Tris told him. She leaned her forehead against his, “Breathe.”

He chuckled, wiping tears from his eyes.

“Eric, have you seen-” Lauren stuck her head into the office, “Tris, I’m sorry I freaked you out.”

“No, I thought you and Eric were together.” Tris said. She sat back, “He cleared it up for me. Want to get a drink later?”

Lauren looked past Tris and after a moment, nodded.

“Hey,” Tris slapped Eric on the thigh, “What do you want to eat? I’ll grab you something on our way back.”

The way Lauren smiled lit up Tris’ heart.

V. 

“Where the fuck did I put it?”

Tris shook her head as Eric went through his vest. She reached into her pants pocket for a tube of sunscreen she’d grabbed on her way out of their apartment. She slapped at Eric’s hands, handing it over to him.

“Thanks, Prior. You forgot these on your way out this morning,” he opened her sunglasses case. “You’d forget your head if it wasn’t for me.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Tris grinned.

Eric groaned.

“I thought it was cute.” Lauren stated. Her girlfriend passed over full canteens then kissed her cheek. “Ready to see if the children can make it in the forest?”

“Oh yes, I am ready to see who gets poison ivy first.” Eric said. He tossed his pack into the armored carrier. “Richards.”

“Coulter.” Richards answered. He held out a peach, “Lauren.”

Tris watched her girlfriend take the peach carefully. Richards had been wary of Lauren, thinking the Trainer was going to take away his best friend. 

“Thank you,” Lauren said. She pulled the ginger Driver into a hug. His eyes widened with surprise as he awkwardly patted her back. 

“Why don’t you take navigation?” Richards asked. He led Lauren towards the vehicle’s front, “I bet you read a map better than Eric.”

“Fuck yourself!” Eric called and took a seat next to Tris. “I think Rich came around.”

“Yeah.” Tris answered. She closed her eyes, letting the noise lull her into calm.

Life was good.


End file.
